Marty is a fully qualified IFMGA international mountain and ski guide. Marty has climbed and guided throughout the world, and is well known in the New Zealand mountaineering scene. Originally from Australia, he adds further to the international flavour of the company.

Marty has guided extensively in the Mount Cook area, and been a climbing instructor for several of the country’s leading outdoor centres, and an Antarctic guide for the USA’s National Science Foundation. A graduate with a Master’s degree in Applied Science, he has developed and taught outdoor leadership programmes both in NZ and overseas.

His long mountaineering career includes ascents of many of the classic climbs of the Southern Alps of New Zealand, including thirteen routes on Mt Cook, eleven separate routes on Mt Hicks, plus climbs of the Balfour and Hidden Balfour Faces of Mt Tasman and the South Face of Douglas. He has also climbed in Alaska, including the sought-after North Buttress of Mt Hunter, the Himalaya where he came close to making the first ascent of a difficult 6,800m peak, and the Caucasus where he guided an ascent of it’s highest peak, Mt Elbrus. He also likes alt. country music.

Steve Bell : Director and Senior Guide

British mountaineer Steve Bell discovered his passion for climbing in 1975 when he was 16. By the time he was 21 he had made many notable ascents in the UK, the Alps (including winter ascents of the north faces of the Eiger and the Matterhorn), and Alaska. In 1981, he made the first of many visits to the Himalaya. Later, he worked for the British Antarctic Survey, spending 126 days in a tent in Antarctica, before serving for 4 years with the Royal Marines.
In 1987 Steve founded the company that was to become Jagged Globe, which is now perhaps the world’s foremost mountaineering operator. He led many of its ground-breaking guided expeditions, including Broad Peak in 1991 and Everest in 1993, plus all of the seven continental summits. Steve has made numerous contributions to mountaineering books, magazines and journals, including his own book ‘Seven Summits’. A fully qualified IFMGA guide, he has chaired several international high altitude mountaineering organisations, and is actively involved in the development of the sport and its impact on the mountain environment. In January 2004 he emigrated to Australia with his wife and three children, and lives near Melbourne. He joined Aspiring Guides as a director in November 2004.

Jean Clairmonte : Director and General Manager

Jean has lived in Wanaka since 1993, where she first met Paul Scaife, Nick Cradock, David Hiddleston and Guy Cotter while working at Harris Mountains Heli-skiing. She has been with Aspiring Guides for 8 years managing Operations & Admin. At first she spent NZ summers in America working for Wasatch Powderbird Guides, Snowbird, Utah.
She has climbed a couple of peaks, and also enjoys mountain biking & snow-boarding. Jean is also studying Kinesiology.

Robyn Brighouse : Administration Manager

After many years of dreaming about mountain climbing Robyn participated in a Mountain Skills Course with Aspiring Guides in 2003. She loved it so much she continued in the same year with a Black Peak Ice Climbing Trip and a summit of Mt Aspiring. In 2004 Robyn travelled to Peru to join an Aspiring Guides expedition in the Cordillera Blanca and summitted Ishinca and Alpamayo. As she was spending so much time in the office Aspiring Guides decided to employ her as office assistant. Now she works whilst chatting about future adventures in the mountains.

Gavin Lang: Guide and Operations Manager

After a whirlwind visit to New Zealand in 2000, the ice and rock of the Southern Alps drew Gavin to uproot from Dublin and build a life on the South Island. Initially drawn to the dark depths of many Cave systems all over Europe, Gavin qualified as a Cave leader through the Flemish Speleological society and studied Dutch while based in Belgium. After many years of demanding work as a Glacier Guide in Franz Josef he is happiest when cutting steps like an energizer bunny all the way to the summit. He has made many ascents from the West Coast glaciers which he considers his back garden. Everything about Gavin's steady style inspires trust.

Nick considers the aesthetics of a mountain as important and for his new and challenging routes he has always taken the most elegant line. Nick has climbed and skied around the world for 28 years, 23 years professionally.
1988 NZ Mountaineer of the Year
Highlights include:
Multiple first ascents of the hardest and most technical ice / mixed routes in the Mt Cook and Mt Aspiring National Parks.
1st guided ascents of Sth face Mt Hicks & the Balfour face of Mt Tasman, New Zealand grade 6's. 
Numerous early ascents of routes on El Capitan & Half Dome, Yosemite.
Ascents of Cerro Torre & Fitzroy (x2) (Patagonia), Uli Biaho (Pakistan), Shivling (India), North Buttress of Mt. Hunter (Alaska).
Heli-skiing worldwide: Alaska, Himalayas, Greenland, Chile
14 seasons professional ski guiding (Indian Himalayas)
18 seasons professional ski guiding (New Zealand)
Chief Guide Harris Mountains Heliskiing NZ (10 years)
Mountain Safety Council & Otago Polytechnic Avalanche Course director.

Murray spent years riding with the worlds best free-skiers, contributing notably to the freeriding revolution with his key involvement in what was to become the worlds biggest selling ski movie"The Blizzard of Ahhs" with Scott Schmidt and the ski world's first anti-hero, Glen Plake. Murray loves climbing and guiding alpine rock. He is no slouch on ice having swapped many leads and cigarettes with Nick Cradock. Murray began his mountain apprenticeship age 12 with Heretaunga tramping club on the north island volcanoes. From 1977-1980 Murray started his alpine apprenticeship and in 1980 started guiding for Alpine Guides, Mt Cook on foot and skis. He left for Europe in 1985 and made ascents in and around Walker Spur, Bonaiti Pillar, (Dru), Direct American (Dru), Verden, Prep Alps Riglos, Calanques, Monserrat, Cech Republic, Brazil Australia, Colorado, Yosemite, Argentina, Thailand, Italy, Switzerland, Wales, Portugal, Corsica. Murray is a passionate rockclimber - he has returned home to NZ and has been busy with new routes at Wanaka, Chinamans Bluff and Fiordland (in his spare time). His NZ alpine climbing history is vast, but mentions Nazomi(2), Dixon(2), Hicks, and east face of Mount Cook as some of his favourite climbs

Jim Blyth : Senior Guide

IFMGA Guide Jim Blyth is a member of both the British Mountain Guides and the French Syndicat National de Guides de Montagne. A Scotsman, Jim has been living in France for the past 14 years and since 2000 in the village of Servoz, close to Chamonix. He specialises in ski mountaineering trips to unusual destinations such as Mongolia, Greenland, Lebanon, Russia and Chile to name a few. He also does small scale ice climbing and mountaineering expeditions around the world and traditional summer alpine guiding in the European Alps. Jim has brought his young family with him to New Zealand for 6 months and we are delighted to have him as a member of the Aspiring Guides team for the season.

Simon loves activities such as rock climbing, skiing, telemarking - ski touring, and mountain biking. He is interested in literature and history. He's Australian and has lived in Wanaka, NZ for 7 years. He is a member of the Treble Cone Ski Patrol. Favourite routes in New Zealand: North Shoulder of Mt. Tasman; SW ridge and South face of Mount Aspiring ; South face of Aoraki/Mt Cook; Strauchon Face of Mt. Dilemma ; West Ridge of Mt. Malte Brun ; North Buttress of Mt. Sabre. 40 ascents of Mt Aspiring; 4 ascents Mt Cook

Nick Morgan : Guide

Nick's first season alpine climbing was in NZ in 1992, with a memorable trip up the Murchison Valley, while most of Mt. Cook was being evacuated during floods. This did not deter his passion for spending time in the Southern Alps. Since then he has climbed in Canada, France, Switzerland, Italy, Nepal and India. During this time he has worked, and continues to work as an instructor and trainer for the Outdoor Education Group in Victoria (Australia). He enjoys sharing his passion for the outdoors with people wether it be on foot, in a boat, or on Skis. Memorable moments when guiding, perfect day and conditions on the S-W ridge of Aspiring, and a marrige propsal on the summit of aspiring during howling N-westerlies.

James Hamilton : Guide

James was born and bred on the west coast of NZ. 7 years of ski patrolling in the States. 5 years glacier guiding on the Fox glacier. Winter ski guiding in Canada, bugaboos to Rogers Pass Traverse. Climbed several north faces in Canada. Rock climbed in Spain, Thailand, USA, and Canada. In NZ, climbed South face of Douglas twice and skied the south face of Mount Earnslaw. Hobbies, surfing, whitebaiting, snowboarding and chewing the fat.

Phil Penney : Senior Guide

Like Phil's personality his distinct blond hair stands out in a crowd. Phil is a senior UIAGM / IFMGA certified guide. Phil's 'bag' flows over with multiple ice & alpine first ascents, an ascent of the Cassin Ridge on Denali (Alaska), traverse of Mount Cook National Park with Al Uren, traverse and ski descents in the Mount Aspiring National Park, traverse of the Darrans mountains.
Phil is one of the foremost adventure guides in NZ and also has a passion for... paragliding, hang-gliding, windsurfing, sailing on his yacht.

Mark Woodward : Guide

Mark started climbing in 1992 after spending years always looking at the mountains for ski descents! After 3 years skiing in Europe he settled in Queenstown and has been working as a heliski guide since 1989. Mark became a climbing guide by 1996 and since then he has successfully guided on many NZ peaks, including NZ's highest mountains. International guiding in Canada and the Himalayas. In 1999 he spent 3 months guiding the Canadian Rockies for the Yamnuska Company and in 2000 he summited on Mt McKinley with 2 clients and more recently he's had several successful Mt Everest ascents while guiding (photo May 2007). He loves being in the mountains and would like to share the enjoyment with others and pass on new skills.

Jo Haines : Guide

Jo has been wandering the hills since she was a teenager. As well as years exploring the NZ Southern Alps on transalpine trips and climbing NZ’s well known and less well know peaks, she has been fortunate to have spent time in the Himalaya, on the rock walls in Australia and the USA and hanging out with Emperor penguins in Antarctica. Jobs past and present include instructing at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre, working in Antarctica and the Himalaya, teaching high school physics and designing websites or working in the mountains around her local town of Wanaka. Back-country telemarking and skate skiing keeps the smile on her face in winter.

Johnny Davison: Guide

Climbed in NZ, France and Canada.
Established new routes in NZ up to Alpine 6+, as well as on ice and mixed.
Climbed Canadian ice testpieces up to grade WI6+, along with routes such as Sea of Vapours, Pilsner Pillar and Cascade Kronenborg.
Favourite routes include Hydrophobia in Canada, the east ridge of Aoraki / Mt Cook, and anything accessible by the telepherique in Chamonix!
Also enjoys red wine, sunsets, and long walks along the beach....

Lydia Bradey : Guide

Lydia lives in Lake Hawea, near Wanaka. She has climbed Aoraki/Mt Cook 3764m (New Zealand's highest mountain) twice at the age of 18 and was the First Women to climb Mt Everest without oxygen, 1988. Lydia was the First Australasian woman to climb one of the world's fourteen 8000m peaks, Gasherbrum II 8035m, 1987. Also Climbed on seven Himalayan Expeditions and aid climbed ten Big Walls, seven first female ascents, Yosemite Valley, Ca. USA, 1981-82. She's a talented physiotherapist and great dancer too!

Mal's climbing background started at Frog Buttress in South East Queensland in 88 and his first mountaineering trip to New Zealand was in 1996 to climb Mt Taranaki and Mt Earnslaw. Since then he's been climbing in many parts of the world with recent trips to climb and guide in Nepal and India with a new route on the West Face of Meru Peak (India) as the lead guide on the Baseclimb 3 Expedition. Mal has also worked over the years teaching Outdoor Education and as a tutor in Outdoor Recreation at NMIT (Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology). For the last few winters he's been busy exploring new ice climbing areas around in NZ's South Island. Mal is now living in Wanaka and when he's not out climbing or mountaineering he likes to play with the wind and air, either aragliding, kitesurfing or speed riding.

Dave Alderson: Guide

Dave, originally from the UK, came to Wanaka for a day whilst travelling around NZ and is still here 4 years later! Captivated by the lake, scenery, southern alps and relaxed atmopshere. Dave worked at the West Coast as an ice climbing guide on Franz Joseph Glacier. Dave enjoys climbing, biking, swimming, running and has been known to do a few multisport events. Dave's been climbing for 25 years and has climbed in America, Africa, Europe as well as some of NZ's alpine ice and rock. One of Dave's talents is the ability to create a gourmet feast from basic staple foods.

Anthea Fisher : Guide

Anthea has traveled, trekked and climbed throughout the world. Countries include Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, Europe and Peru. Despite this she says that there is nothing quite like coming back to New Zealand, and in particular the Southern Alps. Anthea, when not traveling spends time leading personal development expeditions in Australia. Designed to bring out the best in people while challenging them in wilderness environments. She gets great satisfaction from taking people to stunning places and seeing their eyes and minds open wide.